


a name suits you

by stripperskywalker



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Build, Soulmate AU, so basically theyre just oblivious idiots and it's cute, soulmate aus get a bit complicated when both characters are unaware about soulmate stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 08:12:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5619808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stripperskywalker/pseuds/stripperskywalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate AU - Poe and Finn fall in love as soon as they hear the other say their name. FN-2187 doesn't have a name yet, though, and when Poe gives him one, things get interesting - especially when they think the other has died at the beginning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this basically follows the plotline of the force awakens for a long while - so if you don't want spoilers, don't read! some of the soulmate ideas were inspired by this tumblr post: http://thegeminisage.tumblr.com/post/94680598838

FN-2187 is. . . dreaming. It's not something he's recalled doing before, or at least not so vividly – or about something this tangible. 

He's flying; quite literally – and the feeling is exhilarating. Although flying is not something he's unfamiliar with, he finds himself manually flying, soaring through vast evergreens and frozen tundra alike, his heart soaring along with him. 

Someone is with him, however, someone that makes him feel lightweight and free, though his heart feels a hundred pounds. He's never felt like this before, soaring so fast yet still feeling as if he's falling. He can't place a face to his dream stranger, it feels like no one he's ever met before, or probably would ever meet. 

FN-2187 awakens with a start, at the same time he usually awakens, along with his fellow stormtroopers. He's fixated on his own thoughts rather than his external environment, however; and while this isn't the first time he's thought twice about what his life has evolved to, this time is different. He feels off.

Several of the stormtroopers in his division cast a quick glance at FN-2187, but he manages to maintain a decent composure for long enough that he doesn't end up under scrutiny. He, as well as everyone else, is fully aware what happens when a stormtrooper is under too much scrutiny for any kind of reason – and that happening ends with Captain Phasma, someone he tries to avoid at all costs until he gets orders.

FN-2187 is not used to this sort of thing – not being as focused as he should be. His mind should be focused on the orders he just received; but nevertheless he is preoccupied with his free-flying dream containing his mystery copilot. He finds his hands shaking just a tiny bit as he and his fellow soldiers deploy onto the desert sand of Jakku. He doesn't want to do this, any of it.

FN-2187's orders, as well as the rest of his stormtrooper comrades, are to follow Captain Phasma and capture a Resistance pilot that has vital information – and apparently that's all FN-2187's allowed to know.

Death is everywhere on this awful planet, all as a result of himself and his companions. He feels. . . unhappy about it. He can't even fire his weapon, not once – he can't bring himself to do so. His fellow soldiers – stormtroopers – are firing left and right, simply following orders; watching his companions slaughter the lives of – innocent? - bystanders for simply being a witness. 

FN-2187 watches his closest – friends? - die, one even in his arms. A streak of blood smeared across his helmet impairs his vision for a slight moment. He looks up, aghast, his eyes finding the owner of the blaster who delivered the lethal blast that killed his stormtrooper companion. 

There is the Resistance pilot; FN-2187's instincts were trained to target just those types of people – this one in particular. The word prisoner is all that comes to the mind when he sees this particular pilot, but he finds himself frozen instead.

This pilot was killing off FN-2187's battalion, but he finds himself unable to fire at the enemy – this Resistance pilot. He's been trained his whole life to do so – yet, he feels nothing but bleak nausea.

Kylo Ren arrives now, and FN-2187's nausea nearly reaches his peak. Ren is one of the leaders of the First Order – FN-2187's superior, in other words – and he's taking the Resistance pilot hostage for his information about the Resistance.

FN-2187 sincerely doubts he will see this pilot again. A quiver of fear runs through him when Kylo Ren's eyes fall on him, apparently using the force to sense FN-2187's unease. He tries to remain his composure – not that he has any, so that Kylo Ren doesn't use his force against him.

Kylo Ren moves on, sparing his life. FN-2187 has no idea why; he does not plan to obey orders anymore, or at all. He doesn't want any of this.

FN-2187 finds himself eventually standing guard outside Kylo Ren's chamber after they leave Jakku, hearing the tortured screams of the Resistance pilot. His nausea increases, and he's already been under scrutiny by Captain Phasma because of his hesitation to slaughter innocent lives. His breathing his heavy, but his appearance remains calm. He has to sell this; it's his only way out. 

Once Kylo Ren is through with this Resistance pilot, FN-2187 is surprised to see that the pilot has survived the torture. He's supposed to escort the pilot to his cell, where he will remain indefinitely until he is needed or he is killed.

FN-2187 does not plan to let this happen.

“I'll take him from here,” FN-2187 notes to his comrade, and begins to escort the pilot seemingly toward the direction of the detention cells. No one doubts him; no one is trained to.

FN-2187 is acting purely on his instinct – something that he's not quite so familiar with seeing as he was never trained to have instincts. So, he tells the Resistance pilot to take a detour – away from the detention cells, and toward possible freedom.

The Resistance pilot is just as confused as FN-2187 is, judging by the pilot's expression. There isn't time to explain. FN-2187 needs a pilot, a way out of here. At least that's what he tells himself; wanting to spare the life of someone he's trained to kill his whole life is an entirely other thing.

Simply looking at the pilot, however, FN-2187 doesn't want to see him harmed. Fear, determination, and confusion are splashed across the pilot's expression as he looks into the helmet of a stormtrooper – FN-2187's helmet.

FN-2187 removes his helmet, revealing the just-as-frightened young man underneath. The confusion increases in the pilot's eyes – they both see something in each other that they're not supposed to.

There's a moment of silence between them – FN-2187 takes in the pilot's features – dark, curly hair clinging to his tanned skin, dark amber eyes staring back at him desperately. The silence breaks, and FN-2187 sharpens his focus.

“Why are you doing this?” the Resistance pilot asks, and it's a valid question – and the answer to which FN-2187 did not really have – not in a way he could put into words, at least.  
“It's the right thing to do,” was all FN-2187 could come up with. 

The pilot gazes at him quizzically. “You need a pilot.”

it's an easier answer than describing his existential crisis, so FN-2187 goes with it. 

“I need a pilot.”

FN-2187 really has no idea how he ends up here – an average day turning out to be the day he's stealing a TIE fighter with the so-called enemy – his friend now – trying to figure out the weaponry in a ship that he's not allowed to be in without specific orders.

It's as if the Resistance pilot is speaking a different language when he tells FN-2187 how to fire the guns in the TIE fighter, but as he stares at the machinery he decides it's this or certain death, so he rolls along with it. He's in way over his head, to say the least.

Escaping turns out to be the absolute worst thing of his life; however, once they're within a reasonable distance away from the First Order, a wave of relief shoots through FN-2187 – and his copilot as well, most likely, seeing as he's just been tortured by Kylo Ren.

This pilot asks for his name, and the identification number FN-2187 reluctantly falls from his lips.

“F-what?” the pilot asks incredulously.

FN-2187 freezes, unsure what to say from here. “That's the only name they ever gave me.”

The Resistance pilot is quiet for just a moment, and makes a decision that changes him forever. “Well, I ain't using it. FN, huh? Finn. I'm gonna call you Finn. Is that alright?”

As soon as the word 'Finn' hangs in the air, FN-2187's stomach drops to the floor, in a mix of confusion and elation. His heart pumps deafeningly in his ears, suddenly finding himself fixated on everything that this Resistance pilot is and what he stands for.

Panic flows through FN-2187's veins as he realizes that he's never felt anything like this before, never been trained for anything like this before. He feels as if all his ties to anything he's ever experienced are irrelevant, and the only thing he's able to focus on is him. His pilot. His pilot.

It feels like an hour has passed since his pilot calls him Finn, but it apparently has only been a brief moment, unable to get his pilot out of his head. 

He finally replies, “Finn.” He tests it out, the name sounding like a weak comparison to how his pilot uttered it. “Yeah, Finn, I like that!”

FN-2187 is Finn, now. His pilot has given him an identity. He's named him, now. And Finn just can't get out of his head the way his new name sounds from his pilot's lips.

“I'm Poe, Poe Dameron.”

Now, his pilot has a name, too – it's suddenly the best name in the world apart from the one Poe has just gifted Finn with.

Instead of even attempting to express whatever it is Finn is feeling deep in his stomach, all he can think of to say is, “It's good to meet you.”

Good doesn't even begin to cover it; good, yes – amazing, really, with confusion, fear, and gratitude all rolled into one. Poe is a Resistance pilot; Finn's been trained to think of Poe as an enemy, and now all he can think of is friend, maybe more. . . nothing he's ever been allowed to experience, certainly. More panic strikes through him. What's happening to him? What's wrong with him?


	2. Chapter 2

Poe Dameron is not any less confused as to how he ends up stealing a TIE fighter with none only than a damn stormtrooper. At first he thinks that Finn is with the Resistance – a clever disguise, but he discovers Finn is just the opposite. Why in the hell would a stormtrooper want to help _him?_ _What d_ _o_ _they do to the stormtroopers there?_

After Poe names his new friend, something other than the God-awful _number_ he was given – like some sort of inanimate object – Finn remains quiet for a moment. At first, Poe thinks that Finn doesn't like the name Poe has given him, until Finn responds with nothing but pure delight and ecstasy. Not quite expecting _that_ excited of a response, he can't help but smile at his new _stormtrooper_ friend, even if Finn can't see it all the way with their backs facing each other in the TIE fighter.

Stormtrooper FN-2187 is no more – he's a friend, he's _Finn;_ he's one of _us._

Poe and his new friend Finn find themselves faring slightly better than Poe expects, since Finn is able to get a hang of the shooting system in the TIE starfighter. Finn is already proving to be quite an asset.

A few shots escape their radar, however, and fires a critical hit at their ship – just as the planet Jakku nears close. Poe finds himself shot out of the ship as it crashes, and everything goes black.

Poe awakens, and the ship, with Finn along with it are completely gone. He looks around, confused, knowing he's still on Jakku, the planet where he needs to find his droid – _BB-8 –_ but he doesn't know where to begin, and his head hurts something awful.

Back to square one.

In the back of his mind, he _misses_ Finn. Poe hasn't heard Finn say his name yet – and judging by the fact that the ship crashed along with Finn – he doubts he'll _ever_ hear Finn say his name. Poe is struck with sadness, the possibility that Finn and he could've been something _more_ , with time – something that could have happened if Finn had only uttered his name. . .

Poe had heard about _soulmates –_ the phenomenon that supposedly happens when one's true love says your name. His parents had told Poe about it when he was young, before his parents died – when someone says your name, someone who you're intended to be with – it changes you in a way. It makes you forever remember the person, forever fall in love – in any way possible.

Poe had already said Finn's name, though – did Stormtroopers even fall in love? Either way, it appeared to be a miss.

Given that Finn is dead, it's probably a good thing Poe never heard Finn say the words 'Poe Dameron'. It would've made this goodbye so much harder. It's already hard, though.

Poe squeezes his eyes shut, and opens them again, the bright sunlight of the desert snapping him back to reality. He needs to focus. He still needs to find his droid, BB-8. He has no idea where BB-8 even went, but it's Poe's job to find him. The Resistance is counting on him.

Poe swallows his doubts, and starts trekking forth in the desert, searching for signs of civilization – and his BB-8 unit droid.


	3. Chapter 3

Finn desperately tries to escape the wrecked TIE Fighter as soon as a rough crash brings him harshly toward the desert sands of Jakku. He stumbles out of the ship, falling face first onto the sand. He scrambles to a standing position, and shouts the first thing he thinks of as soon as the ship crashed.

“Poe!” he screams, frantically searching for his new friend among the wreckage.

Finn finds nothing, and no one – but a jacket, _Poe's_ jacket, and a shock of fear and despair jolts through him when he realizes Poe is gone.

He grabs Poe's jacket, the only thing that's left of him, and clings to it with a harsh realization. It even _smells_ like him, and it feels a bit heavy on him at first – both literally and emotionally.

_Poe is gone._

The first friend he makes, the one who saved his life and gave him a name – _dead._ He feels as if he's known Poe his whole life, even though they'd just met a few hours ago, and Poe was quite literally ripped from him.

As Finn backs away from the wreckage, a loud explosion puts an affirmative on the fact that Poe is completely gone – alone with his ship, now blown apart underneath the sand.

Finn tries to find reason to move forward, find some kind of refuge – to escape further, and finds none. His body starts to quiver, and all the emotions that hindered behind a weak wall come flooding through.

His knees collapse; he falls to the desert floor, and Finn begins to cry. Weak, raspy sobs come from deep within his chest and the only thing he can think of to do is cry, tears streaming down his face. He puts his cheek against the sand, and lay there for what feels like an eternity. He has no purpose now. Poe is gone, and so is he.

The eventual need for water is the only thing that picks Finn up off the desert ground of Jakku again, and he searches forth until he finds some.

Finn meets Rey; she dulls the ache for a bit. She's extraordinary, and kind – eventually. She gives him a chance. He tells her his name is Finn, and he thinks of Poe again. His heart feels heavy.

BB-8 is with Rey – the droid Poe was looking for before he died. It's as if Finn can't escape thinking about him – his appearance is still fresh in Finn's mind, but it's fading fast. He's unsure whether if it's just his memory trying to repress his suffering, or his stormtrooper mind training him to forget anything – or anyone – that would make him unique.

He's not a stormtrooper anymore, though. He's Finn. Seeing BB-8 makes Finn want to fulfill Poe's last wishes. He's got to get BB-8 back to the Resistance. Rey asks Finn if _he's_ with the Resistance. He lies, telling her yes – although it's not completely a lie, not anymore – Finn would have followed Poe anywhere, if he was still alive. Poe was with the Resistance. So is he – sort of.

“You seem a bit obsessed,” Rey probes him, questions in her eyes.

“What?” Finn asks, glancing from her to BB-8 defensively.

BB-8 looks just as curious as Rey does. This droid and Poe were close, it seemed – it was quite defensive once it realized that Finn was wearing Poe's jacket. Finn doesn't know how to explain, in layman's terms, that Poe's jacket was the only thing that made him feel alive – with a purpose – comfortable. So he doesn't say anything at all.

“With the Resistance, of course, and this Poe Dameron – were you two, uh, close?” Rey ponders.

Finn doesn't know how to answer this. They'd just met, but it's the closest Finn has felt to anyone – _ever._

“I owe him,” Finn replies. “. . . Owed. He helped me escape.” It's the only answer he can make sense of.

“Is he your soulmate?” Rey asks bluntly, a smiling stretching across her face.

“Wait, huh? My _what?”_


	4. Chapter 4

Poe Dameron is able to find civilization quicker than he realizes he would. He manages to barter off a passage to the nearest system, where he contacts the Resistance base to bring him in.

General Organa herself is relieved to hear of Poe's survival; our greatest asset, she calls him. Poe doesn't feel quite like an asset right now.

BB-8 is missing, and BB-8 is the only one who knows the location of Luke Skywalker. He got an a new friend killed earlier, and he was tortured by Kylo Ren himself – who by now has more than likely captured BB-8 and exposed the location of Luke Skywalker.

Instead of vocalize this, however, Poe simply sighs. When he reaches the Resistance base, he's briefly treated for the injuries he received as a result of the torture and the crash. Poe's mind is not on either of those things, however.

Poe can't keep focusing on things he can't control, and he's ready to get back into the fight to distract himself. It's the First Order that's causing all of this, anyway. He's ready to destroy every last one of those assholes if he can help it.

“You seem off,” his pilot friend Jessika Pava mentions to him. “What's wrong, Black Leader?”

Poe hesitates; he didn't even know that his mood was easily recognizable, at least not enough to merit any mention of it. Jessika is always so keen to Poe's emotions, though; she's good at that. She sees through him.

Poe laughs it off, slapping Jessika's shoulder. “Just bad luck, that's all.”

She chuckles. “Bad luck is in our job description, Poe, for all of us. C'mon, spill it. What's eating you? Was it Kylo Ren? I heard what happened.”

The mention of Kylo Ren causes Poe to tense up, still not yet recovered from what happened to him during his torture. Poe still can feel what it's like to have his will and his thoughts being pulled from his own mind, unable to stop it from happening but being fully present in the moment. Betraying his own thoughts and dearest friends and comrades _against_ his will, literally ripped from him - he finds himself staring at the horizon, his fists clenched.

Still, Poe has to remain strong. He returns a hard smile to his face. “He's not all what he's cracked up to be. He's also way shorter than I expected.”

Jessika rolls her eyes. “Y'know, one of these days you should talk about what's happened to you instead of sassing everyone off like that.”

Poe snorts, getting into his cockpit. He hesitates before putting his pilot helmet on, glancing at her.

“It's just . . . there was this stormtrooper,” Poe mutters, embarrassed to even have to mention it.

“A stormtrooper? With the First Order? Yeah, I'm sure there were many of them.”

“That's not what I meant,” Poe says softly. “This one. . . he _helped_ me escape. I'd probably – hell I _definitely_ would still have been trapped there if it weren't for him. Well, that or dead. Did you know they give stormtroopers _numbers_ instead of names? I mean, of course, why would they bother? But he didn't have any other name. I had to call him Finn. _I_ had to give him a name, and I just met the guy. Can you believe that?”

Jessika raises an eyebrow, taking in Poe's expression. “I could only imagine. What happened, Poe?”

Poe sighs, playing with the Resistance symbol on his helmet. “. . .died, he died helping me. I'm the reason he's dead. But there was just something about him; can't get it outta my head.” Poe shrugs.

“Maybe he was your soulmate,” she teases, smiling. “Did he say your name?”

“No, actually,” Poe rolls his eyes at her. “Plus, you know that soulmate stuff is a load of junk. It's never happened to any of us.”

Jessika shrugs. “It happened with General Organa and Han Solo. You never know.”

“Or they just told you that,” Poe points out. “Besides, look how well that turned out. What with, uh, Kylo and all that.”

Jessika rolls her eyes. “You really do ruin romantics of things, don't you?”

“I don't ruin anything. I'm plenty romantic. I'm just realistic,” Poe says defensively, but he's quick to change the subject. “You got your coordinates?”

Jessika sighs, sensing Poe's defensive subject change, but she obliges him. “Yep, a huge squadron of the First Order. They've found BB-8.”

Poe's eyes light up. “They didn't mention that to me. Why?!”

“Said you'd be too eager – you need your rest, and your concentration. I just figured that wouldn't stop you – and you could use some cheering up.”

So they found BB-8; a wave of relief washes over him. His quest hadn't been for nothing. If Poe had gotten BB-8 destroyed, he'd never forgive himself. He _has_ to find him.

Poe does what he knows best; gets in a damn ship and gets ready to give them all hell.


	5. Chapter 5

Finn and Rey manage to find Han Solo and Chewbacca – and Han confirms that Poe's quest to help find Luke Skywalker isn't just a wild Bantha chase after all. Apparently, it's all true – the Jedi, and the Dark Side. Finn is still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he's simply not a stormtrooper anymore, let alone everything else that is happening.

Finn slowly begins to realize that he's surrounded by _good_ people, people who have the best intentions in mind, and he feels that he doesn't belong. He's a stormtrooper, and he decides to let Rey know that. Rey doesn't _deserve_ this kind of company.

Rey is determined to make him stay, however. She _likes_ Finn, for whatever reason Finn can think of. He likes her too, admires her – she's a great friend, and it pains him to have to leave. He doesn't deserve any of this. He doesn't know what he stands for anymore.

His plans to leave are cut incredibly short when he realizes the First Order has shown up where they are. They clearly have found out about BB-8 and the plans to find Luke Skywalker. Rey has taken BB-8 somewhere on this planet, and Finn has no idea where.

So for now, Finn has to fight for his life against his old companions – _stormtroopers_. He's been given a lightsaber, and he can only use it for a bit before they're taken hostage – he, Han Solo, and Chewbacca. Rey is nowhere in sight, and Finn finds himself worryingabout her.

A blast of blaster fire that doesn't come from anyone sound in Finn's ears, however, and he sees Resistance Pilots on the horizon. Finn's worry turns to slight relief, although the sight of the pilots make him think of Poe. It's been difficult, despite the time that has passed, to get Poe out of his mind. He doesn't know what's happened, but Rey thinks it's a soulmate deal.

Rey told him about the myths of finding a soulmate – where your soulmate utters your name for the first time and it makes you fall in love. Rey doesn't believe such things – and Finn sure didn't, either; most people thought it was just a childhood story that keeps them starry-eyed and romantic. That's the way Rey put it, at least, and that made much more sense to Finn.

Finn can't help but think about the way Finn felt after Poe said his name, though, and it how it made his stomach – and his heart – feel funny. It _is_ somewhat odd that Finn can't keep a dead pilot out of his head, particularly one he had only known for such a short time; no matter how _attractive_ said pilot was.

Speaking of pilots, Finn notices one of the Resistance pilots to the rescue, expertly maneuvering and taking out a few of the First Order, and Finn rejoices.

“That's one hell of a pilot,” Finn admires quietly to himself, and suddenly he's imagining the pilot in the air to miraculously be Poe Dameron.

Finn doesn't hold his breath. He's glad to be in good company, though.

When Finn sees Kylo Ren, his old superior, kidnapping Rey he has no other choice but to save her. He can't help it; Rey is his friend and now that Poe is dead, she is all he has. She means a lot to Finn, and she needs to survive this. Finn can't take another death, not now. Not after all this.

He runs toward the Resistance base, hoping to find the first pilot he can get his hands on. Someone has to take him to where Rey and Kylo Ren are. He'll talk to this General Organa if he has to. He has to save Rey – something he couldn't do for Poe.

Finn feels himself almost tripping over something – he realizes it's BB-8 rushing past him, knocking into him, to rush toward one of the Resistance pilots. BB-8 seems to be excitedly beeping to one of the Resistance Pilots, who kneels down in front of BB-8. Since Finn already knows BB-8, perhaps he can befriend this pilot, too – and convince him to fly him to Rey.

When Finn notices a bit more of the pilot's features coming into detail as Finn rushes forward, Finn's stomach drops and his heart beats out of his chest, especially when the pilot's head swivels toward Finn and it turns out to be someone he does in fact know. Very, very well.

“Poe?!” Finn very nearly screams.

Poe recognizes Finn in an instant, and in one fell swoop he's rushing toward him.

“ _Poe Dameron! Y_ ou're alive!”


	6. Chapter 6

Poe notices BB-8 becoming preoccupied by someone standing a few feet away from him; when Poe looks up and sees _him –_ Finn – he very nearly _crawls_ to him. Relief washes over him instantly, and Poe suddenly finds it a bit difficult to breathe.

Then Finn says his name.

As soon as he watches Finn practically scream his name, realizing that his friend is _alive_ and here and _so very glad to see him_ , something changes in Poe. It suddenly feels as if all of his attachments to this world and any other are suddenly connected to _Finn_ , and all he wants to do is hold Finn in his arms and never let him go.

So that's exactly what Poe does. He practically leaps into Finn, Poe's arms encircling his back and clutching Finn tightly against him. Finn's hand snakes around Poe's neck and holds Poe's head firmly but gently against Finn's shoulder.

They hold each other like that, not even speaking, for what feels like an eternity. Poe doesn't want to let Finn go, not anymore, not again. Poe could feel his heart beating erratically against Finn's chest and he feels so vulnerable, and he doesn't know where to go from here.

How does one even begin to tell someone – _Hey, I know we just met and thought the other was dead, but I think I'm in love with you._

Poe sure isn't going to _cry_ , he's just going to bury his feelings in the arms of Finn, and he clutches him so tightly he's unsure if he can let go. Finn doesn't either, not for a long time.

Poe feels as if he should say something, and the only thing he can manage to think of is, “You completed my mission, Finn, I-”

Poe breaks the hug only slightly to _look_ at Finn, and realizes that Finn is wearing _his_ jacket. The one he thought he'd lost in the wreckage with the ship. Finn picked it up and is _wearing_ it, he's been wearing it this _whole time._

“That's my jacket,” Poe murmurs, completely sidetracked.

Poe can see Finn practically _blushing_ now, and it's the most adorable thing Poe's seen as Finn tries to frantically shrug off the jacket to give it to its rightful owner.

The thought of Finn _not_ wearing Poe's jacket just makes Poe want to give him his whole wardrobe. He stops him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“No, no, no no!” Poe protests. “Keep it.” Poe bites his lip, realizing just how good Finn looks wearing Poe's jacket. “It suits you.”

Poe loses himself staring into Finn's eyes, then, and he quite realizes how much Poe is wearing his heart on his sleeve. He can't help it anymore. He's getting a second chance and he sure as hell is going to use it.

Finn locks eyes with Poe, too, and it's quiet again for a moment. Poe briefly considers just planting a kiss right on Finn – I mean, he'd earned it after all. But Finn's eyes grow solemn.

“I need your help,” Finn admits sadly. “They took Rey, they took my friend. I need to find her.”

BB-8 rolls up between the two, and beeps approvingly. BB-8 knows this Rey, too, apparently.

Poe takes one look at the sadness and determination on Finn's face, and his heart sinks. So, it's Rey that Finn's after. Poe dips his head for a moment, realizing that Finn's heart belongs to another.

“Oh,” Poe murmurs, trying to hide the sadness in his tone. He wants to help Finn, though. He owes him everything.

“Rey, right. What happened?”

“Kylo Ren,” Finn pauses, “he took her. I don't know why, but he did. I'm not gonna go without her.”

Poe throws a sad smile at him. “We'll get her, don't worry. You're a good man, Finn.”

Poe wishes he could tell Finn so much more. He doesn't. He probably never will.

Finn looks at him for a long while. “God, I thought you were dead. I can't believe I'm looking at you right now.”

Finn pulls Poe into his arms again, and Poe's heart seems to sink and soar at the same time. If he could, he'd just stay there, in Finn's arms – but he can't let himself do that. He has a job to do. They both do.


	7. Chapter 7

Poe takes Finn straight to General Organa; being the best pilot in the resistance has it's perks, especially now, apparently. Finn follows quickly, reaching in front of him to grab Poe's hand. It's a moment of comfort for Finn; Finn has a hard time relaxing by himself – he loves comfort touches. He sees Poe smile to himself; Finn is relieved that Poe doesn't mind – but he finds himself blushing _again_.

Poe Dameron is bad for Finn's health.

Poe introduces Finn to General Organa, and Poe's tone seems prideful – like he feels responsible for having gotten such an asset to the Resistance base. Finn's blush still remains prominent after Poe and General Organa surround him, complimenting him and the like. Just hearing Poe say Finn's name again puts butterflies in his stomach. He isn't use to these kinds of feelings; he wasn't supposed to have them as a stormtrooper.

General Organa gathers them and the rest of the Resistance base; Finn lies and tells them that he knows how to deactivate the shields on the Starkiller Base so he can get there to save Rey. Poe is instructed to destroy the base with the rest of his pilot crew.

One or both of them might not survive. If Finn can't get Rey in time to get off the base, he'll die. If they shoot Poe down in the sky, well, Finn will have to mourn Poe all over again. He's not ready to do that.

Since Poe came back into his life – and gave Finn a name _and_ let him keep his jacket, he feels like a part of him has come back to life – a Poe-shaped hole has been filled.

And _God,_ the way Poe _looked_ at him; Finn doesn't know how he didn't shove him against his ship and kiss him right there. He needs to focus, though, and _that_ certainly would be quite a distraction.

After everyone gets their orders, Finn and Poe head out toward Poe's ship; Finn knows this is goodbye, and he can see the awareness in Poe's eyes too. He doesn't know if he'll see Poe again, and that scares the hell out of him.

“So it's goodbye, for now,” Poe begins, looking up at Finn, his eyes to the brim with emotion. “See you on the flipside, Finn.”

Finn can't help it; he places both hands on Poe's shoulders. “Take care of yourself. I don't wanna lose you again.”

Poe grins up at him. “Me? C'mon. It's you I'm worried about.”

Finn rolls his eyes. “You are way too cocky.”

“Am I?” Poe wonders, grinning even wider.

“No. I like it,” Finn admits, blushing. If he's going to die doing this, he wants Poe to know.

Finn pulls him into a slight hug, and then releases him.

“I'll miss you,” Finn adds.

Finn begins to walk away, tears very nearly filling his eyes. Poe has done this a thousand times, Finn reassures himself. He can do it one more time effortlessly.

Finn's convincing does him no good. He has to do something before Poe's gone. Finn wheels around.

“Poe! Wait!” Finn calls out to Poe just as he's climbing into his cockpit.

Poe turns around, hopping off his ship, and Poe looks worried.

“What's wrong -” Poe begins.

Finn cuts him off by a kiss – just one on the cheek, of course, he doesn't want to appear _too_ eager. When he pulls away from Poe, Poe looks. . . shocked at the tiny gesture of intimacy.

“Nothing. It's just, uh, leaving you scares me. A little,” Finn admits.

Poe starts to laugh, his lips forming into another beaming smile. “I know exactly how that feels.”

Poe pauses briefly, suddenly becoming nervous about something. “Hey, uh, Finn. You ever heard of soulmates?” Poe asks him timidly.

Finn looks confused. “Soulmates?”

Finn has heard this both from Rey _and_ Poe, now; this is the first he's heard of it from Poe, though, and Finn freezes up. Should Finn tell him about his. . . unusual feelings about Poe? The way he felt – like a lightning bolt – right after Poe said his name? He remains neutral, quiet.

Poe chuckles nervously. “Yeah, uh, there was this, um, thing my parents used to tell me – as a kid, you know. Like, when you'd hear someone say your name and you just. . . know, y'know? Know that they're your soulmate,” Poe explains, and after a minute, he clears his throat. “Like, it's probably a load of crap, but, um, you ever heard of that sort of thing?”

Finn wonders briefly why Poe wants to bring that up. He's not sure if Poe already has a soulmate – with him, it's quite possible. Perhaps Poe is just scared of dying today.

“Not until recently,” Finn explained, avoiding Poe's eye contact. “That sort of thing never, uh, came up when were were being trained. . . in the First Order, y'know.”

“Right! Yeah, no, I wouldn't have thought. . .” Poe trails off, squirming. “I just always thought it was some kinda fairy tale. Maybe, uh, maybe not.”

“Rey told me about it,” Finn says suddenly, “I've given it some thought since then.”

Poe's nervousness fades a bit, and he tenses up defensively. “Oh, Rey! She must've, uh, helped you with that, then, right?”

Finn smiles. “Yeah, she's great. She made me realize a lot of things, but it's still hard to come to terms with it, with the whole. . . First Order thing completely messing up my thinking. Who knows what I can't do because of those bastards.”

Poe smiles at him, his eyes filled with some sort of undetectable emotion, and puts a hand on Finn's shoulder.

“Now, I highly doubt there's anything you can't do, Finn.”

Finn blushes immensely, and he tries to shake it off unsuccessfully. He covers Poe's hand with his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. They stare at each other for a brief moment, and then they both realize they need to get going.

Finn begins to jog backwards away from Poe, hardly able to take his eyes off Poe. The thought of soulmates is now fresh in his mind right along with helping Rey. There's no way that Poe Dameron is talking about _Finn_ in regards to soulmates. Finn was a stormtrooper; no Resistance pilot would want that.

Poe yells out to him, “Come back to me, Finn! You're not allowed to die on me!”

_Come back to me._ Finn tries to ignore the way his heart gallops in his chest at that one.

Finn salutes him in compliance mockingly. He hopes it's enough. He doesn't want to ever leave Poe again – if Poe would allow it. Now it's time for him to focus on saving Rey.

Finn does find Rey, or rather, Rey finds him. It turns out she needed no rescuing of her own, although that doesn't really surprise Finn.

They very nearly make it out, before Kylo Ren appears. He's expecting a fight, and after watching Han Solo die at the hands of him, Finn is ready to give it to him – in theory, that is. In practice, he's terrified.

It doesn't take long for Kylo Ren to render him defenseless. A sharp brutal pain to his spine from Kylo Ren's lightsaber knocks him out cold; just the pain alone could. All he feels is cold and hot rolled into one, and he doesn't know if he's dying or not. He worries about Rey, he worries about Poe; he fades to black.


	8. Chapter 8

Poe Dameron manages to find his way with his Resistance pilots to destroy the Starkiller base. The only thing, really, on his mind other than his success with his friends, is the fact that Finn may or may not have still been on the thing when it blew. Poe shrugs it off, trying not to think about it – good things have happened, and that's important.

Poe briefly wonders why Finn had been so dismissive when Poe had brought up the whole soulmate thing. He knew it was crazy, but it's also probably true that Finn found out about soulmates from Rey – because _Rey_ is his soulmate. Poe sighs; naturally, he's fallen for someone who loves someone else.

Poe sees it, then – the Millennium Falcon, racing away just in time with the rest of them. _Finn is okay._ At least, Poe hopes so.

Poe cheers and screams with joy along with his other companion Resistance pilots as they follow the Millennium Falcon away from the explosion. He hopes everyone is safe and on board. They completed the mission. This is a huge win – the Starkiller base has been defeated.

When Poe lands with his other fellow pilots, he races toward the Millennium Falcon, eager to see Finn and embrace his new friends.

However, when Rey emerges down the Millennium Falcon, she's barely able to hold up Finn – with the help of Chewbacca. Finn appears to be completely unconscious.

Poe's stomach drops. _Finn is hurt._ If something's happened to Finn that's permanent – if Finn is going to _die -_ he can't even focus the rest of his thoughts. Poe races toward Finn and Chewbacca holding Finn's unconscious body, slumped over against Rey's shoulder.

“Finn!” Poe shouts. “What's happened?! Is he alright?”

“I'm not sure! He got grazed in the back by Kylo Ren's lightsaber!” Rey shouts back. “Are you Poe?”

“Yeah, that's me! Is he breathing?!” Poe very nearly shrieks, hovering his hands over Finn's restful features.

A medical team lowers Finn onto a stretcher that will take him to the medical facilities. Poe hops on board with them, placing his hand on Finn's. One of the medics informs him that there's a pulse, and relief washes over Poe, but only barely – he has no idea what's wrong with Finn or when he'll wake up.

Rey has to report back to General Organa before she joins Finn at the medical facilities. Poe is alone with Finn – well, except for the medics, and it's much too quiet.

When they arrive at the medical facility, the medics and medic droids flip Finn over on his side; there's a huge gash in his back, right near his spine – it looks incredibly painful, but it doesn't _seem_ fatal to Poe; however, Finn is unconscious and might not wake up.

“What's going on?!” Poe demands. “Is he gonna make it, Doc?”

“Calm down. I have to assess the extent of his wounds,” one of the medics informs him in a stern, collected voice. “I'm going to have to remove this jacket, and the rest of his clothes near the wound. If you'd step back, please, Poe. I'll do the best I can, but I need my space.”

Poe just now realizes that Finn's jacket – _Poe's jacket –_ has been torn slightly where the lightsaber has hit Finn, and for some reason, it makes Poe's eyes water.

“Right, yeah. . .” Poe trails off, in quite a bit of shock now. “Just, please help him. I don't wanna lose him again.”

Finn's heart rate is hooked up to a monitor now, and once Finn's clothing is removed around the wound, it looks singed and scarred – a gash that almost resembled a blaster graze – only much, much deeper.

“The wound has been cauterized already, but he's suffering from grave burns. We must clean and disinfect the wound, and make sure it is properly bandaged daily,” the medic droid informs Poe.

The medic attaches a device to the wound that cleanses the blood around it and the wound itself. Poe is very, very thankful that Finn is unconscious for that; having been wounded himself many times himself, he remembers how _painful_ that device is. Poe desperately wants to hold his hand, but he remains in the corner, awaiting anxiously.

It takes the medics about an hour to properly clean, disinfect, and bandage Finn's wound. Finn's wearing a medical gown, now, and he's to rest until he awakens. He's got feeding tubes attached to him to prevent dehydration and malnourishment.

“Can you tell me when he'll wake up?” Poe asks timidly, getting closer to Finn.

“It's difficult to tell; could be a few hours, could be a few days,” the medic replies.

“So he will, right? Wake up?”

“Yes, he seems responsive. His body is protecting itself. Don't try to wake him, Poe, or else we'll have to keep you out of here.”

Poe understands. He watches the medic leave, and then it's silent. A few medic droids attending to other people injured in the battle are present, and Poe sits next to Finn.

Poe feels a bit selfish, but he slips his fingers inside Finn's. He just wants to hold Finn's hand. It's been such a long day, and he wishes he could cradle Finn against him and protect him from everything bad that's happened to him his whole life; but all he can do right now is hold Finn's sleeping hand, and he is alright with that.

Poe hears a presence enter the room, and he looks up to see Rey. She's standing at the doorway, a worried look plastered on her face. Poe stands up immediately, unsure if she'd get upset to see Poe holding Finn's hand.

“He'll be alright?” Rey asks Poe.

“Yeah, it looks that way. Good to meet you, Rey, I've heard much about you,” Poe murmurs, shaking her hand.

Rey smiles a bit, pretty dimples forming in her cheeks. “Likewise; sometimes, Finn never shuts up about you. _Best pilot in the resistance,_ and all that.” She imitates Finn's deep voice, and it's cute.

Poe smiles. He can't help but see why Finn likes her. She's beautiful, strong, and funny. Sadness pings in Poe's heart, but he's glad Finn has her to be with.

“You two are close, huh,” Poe mumbles awkwardly, looking from Finn's peacefully restful features and back to Rey's tired ones. “That's good. I'm glad he has you.”

“That's funny, I could say the same for you two,” Rey laughs. “I'm certainly glad he has _you_. I'm not going to be around for much longer; I'm to find Luke Skywalker.” She seems sad, but excitement lights her features slightly; completely understandable.

“Right,” Poe murmurs. “You're leaving, then? Now?”

“Well, I had to say goodbye,” Rey says sadly. “Do you mind if I have a moment alone with my friend?”

Poe smiles. “No, no, not at all.”

Poe walks out of the medical unit, and finds BB-8 waiting for him outside. He beeps frantically.

_Is Finn alrigh_ _t?_

“Yeah, BB-8, Finn's gonna be okay.”

BB-8 beeps in relief. _You like him._

“Yeah, sure, what's not to like? Everyone likes Finn. He's great,” Poe says remarkably.

_That's not what I meant,_ BB-8 beeps. _You look at him_ _a lot._

Poe rolls his eyes. “I have no clue what you're talking about.”

_Yes, you do. Finn looks at yo_ _u funny_ _, too._

“Funny how?” Poe asks, suddenly interested.

_Like how Han looks at General Organa._

“BB-8, you're a funny little droid. I doubt that. He's got Rey.”

_He's got you._

Poe's interrupted by Rey approaching him. BB-8 looks between the two of them, beeps farewell, and rolls off to go look at Finn.

“Thanks for that,” Rey says. “Take care of him for me, will you? He needs you, especially right now. I wish I could stick around, but things can't wait. I've got a lot of work to do ahead of me.”

“Right,” Poe agrees. “I'll let him know that you said goodbye.”

Rey smiles. “You two are perfect.” She kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you, Poe. For being there for him.”

Poe shrugs, playing it cool. “Got nothin' better to do.”

Poe watches Rey leave aboard the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca and R2-D2. Poe realizes that if it weren't for Finn saving his life, that map would've never gotten into her hands.

Poe goes back inside the medical unit, sitting next to Finn again. He touches Finn's arm this time, rubbing tender circles in his flesh.

“C'mon, buddy, wake up soon,” Poe murmurs. “This place ain't the same without you.”

Poe bites his lip, looking at his friend's sleeping form. He looks almost peaceful, sleeping like that. Poe wants to talk with him so badly, but he's also thankful that Finn will be sleeping off most of the pain. Poe goes back to holding Finn's hand; it's nice, warm, and makes him feel like he's doing something productive other than just staring.

The longer Finn remains unconscious, the more Poe worries (which directly correlates with how much Poe holds Finn's hand). Other than getting food, Poe spends most of his time near Finn. He even spends the first night sleeping right near Finn, his feet propped up against Finn's medical bed, with the rest of Poe's body slumped over in an uncomfortable metal chair. Poe doesn't mind much; he just likes holding Finn's hand.

It isn't until about a day later when Finn's fingers begin to move in Poe's hand. Poe's heart races. _Finn's awake._


	9. Chapter 9

Finn can hear the far-off beeping of heart monitors and other equipment in his ears before he opens his eyes. The pain he feels first, too; throbbing, searing heat painfully crawling against his back. He can feel bandages against his back, but he still feels unsafe to move. His lips betray a groan before his eyes even open. He feels pressure on his fingers – someone's holding his hand.

Finn's eyes flutter open, taking in his surroundings for the first time. He's in a medical bay, and there's machines and medic droids everywhere. He looks down at his hand, seeing a lighter skinned hand gently holding his; the owner of said hand belonging to none other than Poe Dameron.

Finn looks at Poe, and Poe removes his hand sheepishly.

“Finn, buddy, you're awake!” Poe exclaims, a beautiful smile erupting on Poe's face. Finn had to make an effort not to let his pulse quicken at the sight of it.

“Ow,” Finn complains. “Jeez, you look terrible, Poe.”

Indeed, Poe does look terrible. He'd barely gotten any sleep last night, so the circles under Poe's eyes were pretty prominent. Poe's hair is disheveled and he still hasn't showered since he returned to base yesterday; Finn's assessment was quite accurate. He is still the best thing that Finn could ever possibly hope to see – _Poe's alive._

“Thanks, you too,” Poe teases. “Are you alright? How are you feeling? I was worried as hell, don't do that to me ever again.” Poe's flustered, which causes Finn to blush.

“My back hurts,” Finn complains, remembering how Kylo Ren had attacked him, and then he suddenly remembers. . .

“Rey?! Where is she?!” Finn shouts, trying to sit up, despite the machines protesting. If Finn had gotten Rey hurt, or _worse. . ._

Poe sounds a bit quieter now, but he gently pushes Finn back down on his bed.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't move, Finn, you've gotten your back _wrecked_. Rey's fine. She said goodbye to you before she left, but she had to go find Luke Skywalker,” Poe mumbles reassuringly.

Relief colors Finn's features, glad that Rey made it, although he's a bit stung that she left without him; it's understandable, though, all he's done is get himself hurt. Finn sighs.

“What's wrong?” Poe worriedly asks.

“She left without me,” Finn admits. “I just slow her down.”

“I doubt that,” Poe disagrees. “You saved her life, then she returned the favor. Nothing wrong with that. You both seem pretty badass to me. You, a stormtrooper, without any other kind of training took on _Kylo Ren_ with a freaking lightsaber. That's amazing.”

Finn looks away, blushing. “Well, when you put it like that. . . It was Rey, though. She was the hero. She saved my life. I don't know how, but. . . she did.”

“Yeah, who knew Rey would be force-senstive?” Poe asks. “Are you two. . .”

“Are we what?” Finn asks defensively.

Poe shrugs. “I don't know, you just seem, uh, sweet on her, that's all.”

Rey is amazing, sure, and it makes a lot of sense that Poe would jump to that conclusion. However, for some reason, Finn still just can't seem to get Poe Dameron out of his head.

“She's a great friend,” Finn says. “Did you _sleep_ here, Poe?!”

Poe looks away, a bit embarrassed. “I, uh, yeah. Yeah I did. I was really worried, Finn. I thought I'd lost you again.”

The way Poe says it makes him seem so desperate, and Finn's heart leaps with hope. Taking in Poe's tired, grateful expression makes Finn smile.

“You really need to get some sleep. I'm glad you're here, though. Thanks, Poe, for everything,” Finn murmurs. “You're amazing.”

Poe shrugs it off. “It's you that seems to have saved the day.”

“We all did, I guess,” Finn agrees. “But I mean, for everything. For giving me a chance, helping me get out of the First Order. For giving me. . . giving me a name, a person to be; a person to _aspire_ to be, even.”

It's Poe who's biting his lip, now. “Now that, Finn, is my pleasure.”

Finn and Poe gaze at each other for quite some time, a charged silence filling the air. Finn almost wishes that Poe would just shut up and kiss him, but Poe seems way too preoccupied with Finn and _Rey_ being a thing. Finn sighs. It's not _Rey's_ jacket that he can't stop wearing around.

Finn looks around, suddenly realizing something – he's not wearing his jacket. “Yo, where's my clothes?” he wonders.

“They had to take 'em off to get to your wound,” Poe explains. “My – er, your, jacket had quite a hole in it from the lightsaber. I, uh, patched it up for you, in case you wanted it back. . .”

Poe hands Finn the jacket, now obviously patched up, but still intact, nonetheless.

“How long did this take?” Finn wonders.

Poe shrugs. “Not too long. . .”

Finn is in awe that Poe even thought to patch up the jacket for Finn, and his heart swells.

“How long have I been out?”

Poe shrugs. “About a day. What happened?”

Finn sighs. “Don't remember a whole lot, man. After Han got. . .” Finn trails off sadly. He takes a deep breath. “Ren showed up, I tried to fend him off; didn't work out too well. That's all I remember. So you got the Starkiller base, huh?”

Poe nods. “Sure did. Didn't think we were gonna have enough time, but. . .”

“Of course you did,” Finn laughs. “You're Poe Dameron.”

Poe's grinning now, and it relaxes Finn for a moment.

“I just feel bad that I'm not there with Rey.”

“Hey, we'll find her soon,” Poe says reassuringly. “For now, we all want you to just rest. She can take care of herself, y'know.”

“Did you meet her?” Finn ponders.

“Yeah. She told me to keep an eye on you, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do.”

“Is that a threat or a bribe?” Finn nearly giggles, his heart pumping in his chest. As tired as Poe looks, he still looks damn good, and it's quite a distraction from Finn's worries.

“Well,” Poe takes a seat, grabbing Finn's hand. “That depends on if you behave.”

Finn blushes immensely, which in turn causes Poe's grin to widen. Finn discovers that the intensity of his blushes directly correlates to how wide Poe smiles. This is a problem.

Finn looks at Poe's hand gently gripping his own, and he gives Poe's hand a reassuring squeeze.

“When can I get the hell outta here?” Finn asks.

“Ya gotta take it easy, buddy,” Poe insists. “That. . . uh, that being said, we're kinda tight on rooms here, and they'd probably assign you a roomie. I pulled some strings and got some transfers, and I was wondering maybe you'd, uh, like to bunk with me? It's a bit cramped, but it's cozy. . .”

“Are you joking?! Hell yeah! I'd love to stay with you,” Finn blurts out much too eagerly.

Poe talks to the medic droid and with a promise of bed rest and care, he springs Finn free from the medical unit. Poe takes him to his quarters. Finn notices that Poe only has one bed, and Finn can feel his palms get a bit sweaty.

“Sorry 'bout the one bed, thing. It's only temporary; and I'm definitely taking the floor 'til you get all healed,” Poe promises, gripping Finn's shoulder affectionately. “Anything you need, just let me know. I'm at your service.”

Finn's stomach fills with butterflies. _At your service._ Finn briefly wonders if it'd be inappropriate to ask for a kiss. He's never done it before, and he can tell just by the way Poe carries himself, he's gotta be good at it. Finn gets caught up in fantasies now, causing his heart to beat just a little faster still.

“Yo, buddy, you hearing me? You okay, Finn?” Poe asks, snapping Finn out of his romantic reverie.

“Y-yeah, sorry, I mean, we can both share the bed? It's big enough, right? Wouldn't want you sleeping on the floor,” Finn insists. “I'm used to sleeping in small spaces anyway, back in the First--”

“You're not part of the First Order anymore,” Poe points out, “and let me treat you, alright?”

Poe pulls out a bottle of some amber-colored liquid. “I got us a present.”

“What the hell is that?” Finn asks.

Poe looks at him like he's crazy. “You joking? It's whiskey. You're gonna love it, buddy.”

The grin on Poe's face tells Finn that he might _not_ love it.

“You, my friend, are up to no good,” Finn teases.

Poe grins. “I'm up to plenty good. We're gonna celebrate.”


	10. Chapter 10

Poe knows that Finn is supposed to take it easy, so that's why he's only going to let Finn drink a _small_ amount of the liquor – and Finn's night is certainly going to end up on the bed, not anywhere else. Still, Poe's excited to give a former stormtrooper his first bit of freedom.

Poe takes a long drink, and then hands Finn the bottle, warning him to take it slow.

Finn takes a drink, and then winces.

“My God, you call this a good time?” Finn complains. “This is the worst thing I've ever tasted.”

Poe chuckles. “Soon, the taste won't matter.”

Soon comes pretty quickly. Finn doesn't have any tolerance, so he's already warm and buzzed after a few sips. It takes Poe a bit longer, but since the First Order has been wreaking havoc, he hasn't spent a night like this in ages – so he's quick to a buzz as well.

“Wow, you know what? You're right, this stuff is pretty great,” Finn murmurs, taking another swig.

“Right? One of the perks of the Resistance, eh?” Poe smiles.

“One of them,” Finn answers, something coloring his tone that Poe can't quite detect.

“Sorry you can't spend this time with Rey,” Poe murmurs. “I'm sure she would've liked to. Or. . . maybe she'd just call us idiots, who knows.”

Finn laughs, and then tilts his head in confusion before he sips some more whiskey. “You are always bringing her up, what gives?”

Poe takes another long drink, and then sighs. The alcohol has tainted Poe's ability to keep things under the radar, and he's feeling a bit free tonight.

“It's her, isn't it? Rey's your soulmate. That's why you blew me off the other day, didn't wanna hurt my feelings?” Poe asks quietly.

Even Poe is surprised at his own lack of subtlety. He figures he probably could have sugar-coated that; well, it's pointless, now – he's out in the open.

Finn nearly chokes on the drink he's taking. “I thought you didn't believe in the soulmate thing.”

“Well, I didn't,” Poe scratches his head. “Then you said my name, and I, uh, I'm a little confused. Hey, uh, forget I said anything. This damn whiskey.”

Finn's silent for a long while, which makes Poe a bit self-conscious; until Finn starts chuckling. “I didn't know hot pilots got jealous.”

Poe looks up, confused. “Jealous? I'm not jealous. Wait, you think I'm hot?”

“You totally are!”

“Wait, about the jealous thing or the hot thing? I'm _not_ hot, and I _am_ jealous. Wait, I mean,” Poe starts giggling. “I _am_ hot and I'm not jealous.”

Finn has his face buried in his hands now, unable to control his laughter. “You are both hot _and_ jealous, and it's adorable.”

Poe looks up at him; he's sitting on the floor, now, and Finn's sitting on Poe's bed – only because Poe _insists_. Poe would be _less_ obvious if he had hearts in his eyes; Poe doesn't even care at this point. He's got hearts in his eyes and he can't look anywhere except for Finn's beautiful face.

“Wait, really?” Poe asks in disbelief.

Finn giggles. “Um, duh. I've been trying to play it cool this whole time, and here you are with your very obvious, mood-ruining big mouth,” Finn starts to laugh again. “Poe Dameron, you scared the hell out of me in that stupid TIE fighter when you gave me a name. At first, I thought it was just. . . well, just happy that I have an identity that isn't just a number, but. . .” He sighs. “I'm _crazy_ about you. You're perfect, and I'm just a former stormtrooper that people probably secretly hate--”

Poe hops up from the floor then, and plops himself right next to Finn, putting an arm around his shoulder – careful not to touch the scar on Finn's back. Finn looks over at him, with an equally adoring expression.

“Are you joking? Man, you're a damn hero. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know where Luke Skywalker is. BB-8 would be long gone, and the maps would be in the hands of the First Order. The Starkiller base would've destroyed us all. I'd be dead,” Poe points out. “The entire Resistance loves you already.”

Finn just keeps staring at Poe, and then he smiles. “You're so hot.”

Poe snorts. “Well --”

Whatever Poe gets to say, he never finishes. Finn cuts Poe off with a kiss, grabbing Poe's shirt and pulling him toward Finn's lips in a bit of a messy collision.

Poe emits a surprised but happy noise of approval, sliding his hands around Finn's neck gently, gripping him just tight enough to hold him into place. The kiss is short, and not the most intimate of things, but it gets the job done.

Poe only just remembers to reopen his eyes several seconds after the kiss actually ends. He blinks several times, unsure if the kiss actually just happened.

Finn's smiling at him. “Sorry. I couldn't help myself anymore.”

Poe laughs hoarsely, clearing his throat. “That's. . . never something you have to apologize for.”

They stare at each other for a brief moment, and then they're all over each other. Poe slides smoothly onto Finn's lap, being careful to avoid Finn's injury at all costs – so Poe grips Finn's hips instead of snaking them around his back, and it emits an excited response from Finn anyway.

Finn's hands hold Poe against him, Finn's lips finding Poe's easily. Poe slips his tongue in Finn's mouth, and Finn finds himself _moaning._ The noise is so beautiful coming from Finn, Poe takes extra care into gently biting Finn's lip. Poe can feel Finn's grip on him get tighter, and it inspires him all the more.

Finn breaks the kiss to catch his breath, and he's mumbling expletives under his breath, but Poe doesn't free his lips long enough for Finn to form complete sentences.

“Never been,” Finn begins in a breathy tone, before Poe kisses him again, “kissed before.”

Poe breaks the kiss this time, looking at him with a slightly shocked expression.

“ _Never?_ You've never been kissed before?” Poe demands.

Finn groans, pulling Poe closer to him. “That definitely doesn't mean you should stop.”

Finn begins kissing again this time, and Poe smiles against Finn's lips. Finn's fingers make their way into gripping Poe's dark, curly hair, and he pulls slightly, and Poe's breathing increases as he gently licks against Finn's lips.

“You are,” Finn starts, while being kissed again, “way too good at this.”

Poe chuckles, moving his lips to Finn's neck; if Finn hasn't experienced this before, Finn is going to receive all that Poe can give him.

Poe breathes against Finn's neck before gently placing his lips against his flesh there, and he can feel Finn's skin raise goosebumps against his lips. Finn grips him tighter, and Poe kisses his neck harder, putting a gentle hickey against Finn's skin. Just the noises that Finn makes is satisfaction enough for Poe.

Finn moans, “You're killing me here.”

Finn insists that Poe sleeps on the bed _with_ Finn. After much protesting, Finn convinces him.

Finn wraps his arms around Poe, curling up against Poe's back. The liquor has settled, and they're both tired enough that as soon as they close their eyes, they're certain to fall asleep.

“Poe,” Finn whispers into the darkness. “You're amazing.”

Poe chuckles sleepily. “I know.”

He's snoring softly barely a minute later, and it makes Finn smile.

Finn's not so used to falling asleep so fast, so it takes him a bit longer, but he finds himself comfortable enough to do so, for the first time in a while.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's smut in this chapter, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED

Poe spends the next few weeks taking care of Finn as much as he can. He changes Finn's bandages (much to Finn's complaints), and they're practically attached at the hip; they eat together, sleep together. They don't even bother getting another bed. Poe and Finn have slept together every night since their first night, usually in one another's arms or lazily kissing each other until they grow tired.

Finn finds it easy to unwind his biological clock from his stormtrooper days whenever he's around Poe and the rest of the Resistance.

He sleeps in with Poe quite a lot – he discovers Poe loves to sleep in whenever he can, and even though he can't fall asleep quite as fast as Poe, he finds it a lot easier. The nightmares stop, and are replaced with new ones, similar to the ones he had before he deserted the first order. They usually sleep in each other's arms – and Poe's always too careful not to touch Finn's back until it's healed. Finn thinks it's cute.

Finn's flying freely in his dreams now, and his copilot is Poe Dameron – sometimes his dreams even have Rey with them. Finn and Poe haven't heard from Rey yet, but General Organa senses that she is fine and has made contact with General Organa's brother, Luke Skywalker.

Finn and Poe are both glad that they are able to take some time off. Poe's grateful so that he can take care of Finn, and Finn's grateful to become accustomed to being a part of the Resistance now.

“Well, Finn,” Poe declares as he's changing Finn's bandaging, “I don't think you need new bandages anymore. Your scar's healed almost perfectly.”

“I barely feel it anymore,” Finn agrees. “Took long enough. Lightsabers are the worst. Remind me to never get near them.”

“I would be more than okay that you didn't get near someone with a lightsaber again. I'm just glad you're okay,” Poe murmurs, bending forward to peck a kiss on Finn's cheek.

Finn's blushing, and he's still never quite used to the fact that Poe's focusing all of his affections on Finn. A month ago he was with the First Order, watching Poe about to be killed. Now he's sleeping in his arms every night.

Finn shrugs Poe's jacket back on – he never wants to stop wearing it, and likes it even more now that it has a patched up part that _Poe_ fixed for him. He knows Poe likes seeing him in the jacket, too. They swap even more clothes now; Finn doesn't have any belongings to his name just yet, and he can fit in a lot of Poe's clothes. This causes several people around the Resistance base to tease. Finn likes it, though – and Poe is always wearing that grin of his proudly.

They haven't gone beyond kissing yet, and they've never really discussed it either – they both just enjoy kissing each other so much that it's never really occurred to either of them. Finn gathers that Poe's unsure what Finn is comfortable with – since Finn is so inexperienced. Finn isn't quite sure either, to be honest; but he trusts Poe, and he's entirely certain he's _in love with him._

Finn sometimes feels so silly; Rey is off doing important things, training to be a Jedi with Luke kriffing Skywalker and while Finn heals all he's managed to do is fall head over heels for a cocky Resistance Pilot named Poe Dameron – the one that's given him his entire identity.

Poe doesn't seem any less unhappy, though – at least that's what Finn's hoping for. Poe seems to take a notice of how much Finn likes to hold hands, and Poe indulges him. Poe's always grabbing for his hand before Finn can even think to, and _every_ time it brings goosebumps to Finn's skin. He even does it while they're in the middle of a Resistance council, right in front of everyone. Poe seems to love the blush it brings to Finn's cheeks.

Nighttime comes, and Poe and Finn have themselves a couple of drinks – not enough to do much, but enough to make them comfortable enough to sprawl out on Poe's – _their –_ bed, their legs entwined, hands clasped together, their lips completely attached to one another. Finn loves being able to tangle his fingers in Poe's curly locks of hair as they kiss, while Poe grips Finn's jawline like it's a lifeline. It's perfect, and moments like this feel like hours.

They break for a moment to breathe, but they're both grinning as they mirror each other's lust-filled eyes.

“How'd you end up in the Resistance?” Finn wonders offhandedly, his mind wandering.

Poe smiles, drawing circles on one of Finn's hands; it tickles a bit.

“Both my parents fought for the Rebellion – y'know, back when the Empire was still around. My dad was a Rebellion soldier, and my mom,” he stops to grin at some memory he hasn't revealed yet, “my mom was a Rebel pilot, one of the best. She taught me everything I knew. She was my idol. After the defeat of the Empire, my parents taught me everything, raised me, even introduced me to General Organa before she settled down to have a kid of her own with Han Solo.”

Finn and Poe remain quiet for a while, the sadness sinking in of how that turned out – that very same child who turned out to be Kylo Ren, who had just recently killed his own father.

Finn grips Poe's hands tighter, and rests his head on Poe's shoulder. They'd been through way too much in too short of a time, it seems like.

Poe sighs. “I was one of the first people General Organa called when the First Order formed with the transition of Kylo Ren. I became one of the best pilots of the Resistance. Never did get over my crush on her, though.” He chuckled slightly.

Finn grins. “I can't blame you, there,” he agrees. “One of the best? Poe, you're the damn best. I've seen you in action.”

Poe kisses him briefly, and then seem deep in thought. Finn gets a bit paranoid.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing, it's just. . . well, I know your past, at least a little bit, and I didn't wanna make you uncomfortable by asking, but. . .” Poe murmurs. “I just wanted to know if you, uh, maybe wanted to share something. Anything.”

Finn shrugs. “There's not a whole lot to share. It doesn't bother me too much, not most of the time. I used to have a family – don't remember them at all, I don't even know if they're still alive. . . they took me from them when I was so young. I don't even remember it, really. The First Order took me, told me that I was _special_ and that I was selected to do work that no one else could. Soon, special became just like everyone else that was taken from their families. Got trained to do one thing – kill, destroy the Resistance, and follow orders by those who are superior to me.”

“So what made you want to get out?” Poe asks. “I mean, that is, if you feel comfortable talking about it.”

“It's not that I _wanted_ to? I didn't think much, we weren't trained to. I kept having dreams. . . feelings, really. I couldn't tell anyone about it, though. When I saw you on Jakku, when my first battle I was assigned to was _you,_ and I was supposed to kill all those innocent people, I just. . . I couldn't do it. I heard you getting tortured, and I needed to get out of there. I didn't know where, I just needed to. I needed a pilot but, I didn't even know you were one. I just. . . needed to save you.” Finn's deep in thought now.

“What were your dreams about?” Poe asks.

“Huh?”

“You said you kept having dreams. What were they about?”

Finn tenses up a bit, a little embarrassed. “I was. . . I was flying. Someone was with me, and it felt like I was free, and I could do whatever I wanted to do. I think the person was you. I had a dream like that recently, just the other night. You were there. It's a reoccurring dream for me, I guess.”

“You dreamt about me before you even met me?” Poe asks in awe.

“I didn't know it was you, jerk! I just. . . got this feeling when I saw you. When you said my name, it was over for me,” Finn laughs. “Must be that whole soulmate thing; it's not a myth, I guess.”

“People always said it happened with General Organa and Han, but no one could prove it. Even Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala had it – you know, Luke and Leia's parents. Some people say it's only for force-sensitive people, so that they can pass on the lines of the force,” Poe trails off in thought. “Most people wrote it off unless if we were force-sensitive, and now most people write it off in general.”

“Huh,” Finn murmurs. “I wonder why.”

“I guess we know it's true, at least for us,” Poe laughs.

“I've never done any of this before,” Finn says. “Y-you know, the kissing, the. . .” he runs his fingers up the length of Poe's arm gently, “all of this.”

“I know,” Poe murmurs, his lips hovering just over Finn's jawline. “I've never done it, either.”

“What? I _know_ that's a lie, Poe Dameron, don't give me that shit,” Finn laughs adoringly.

Poe starts to grin, too. “No, I mean it. I mean, I may have kissed and, uh. . . other things. . .”

“Yeah, exactly, that's what I thought,” Finn teases sarcastically, shoving him playfully.

“I mean, if you'd _let me finish,_ you jerk,” Poe teases, “I haven't done _this.”_

“This? I'm not following.” Finn adds a one-up. He always has to. “And _you_ _'re_ the jerk.”

Poe's tone turns serious. “I haven't taken it slow, haven't wanted so much. . . I haven't kissed someone like _this_ or done any of this – in a way that meant so much to me – until you came along. I've never felt this way. I haven't wanted someone so much in my whole life, Finn. From the moment I met you, I've been completely gone for you _and_ now _please_ save me from this hell before I die of embarrassment--”

Finn doesn't even know what to say, so he's kissing Poe now, a bit more aggressively than before – with _intent,_ and he pulls Poe on top of him, gripping the back of Poe's neck; his lips release Poe's and Finn's determined to vocalize this intent – he's ready.

“I want this,” Finn breathes needily, “I want you.”

Poe's eyes soften, looking down at Finn underneath. “Finn, we got forever to do this. We don't have to do this now.”

“I'm tired of letting my past control my life,” Finn murmurs, unbuttoning Poe's shirt slowly. “I want all of this, now.”

Finn brings his lips back to Poe's, and Finn's face flushes from either satisfaction or shyness – probably both, Poe's pinning him against the bed now as Poe's tongue slides in Finn's mouth.

They take their time shedding off layers of each other's clothes – Finn's wearing Poe's jacket _again_ as usual and they both smile as Finn slowly shrugs it off of him. Poe refuses to leave Finn's lap tho, both legs straddling against Finn's waist as he yanks Finn's shirt over his head, tousling up Poe's hair more. Finn adores it – he needs Poe's lips on him _now._

Finn feels a bit exposed with both of their shirts off, Poe's on top of him with just his boxer shorts on and the feeling of Poe's skin against him raises goosebumps on his flesh. Finn uses a trick that Poe usually pulls on him and bites Poe's lower lip, emitting the prettiest moan from Poe – something Finn would very much like to hear again – so Finn places tiny bites along Poe's jawline.

Poe can't seem to contain himself; he's grinding against Finn's hips now, and Finn's never felt that kind of pleasure before in his entire life. He's rock hard in his underwear the more Poe grinds against him, until he can feel Poe's erection against Finn's thigh as well.

As they grind each other's groins against each other, hips colliding, Finn wraps his legs around Poe like his life depends on it, both of them moaning without any kind of filter.

Poe lowers himself further against Finn, and brings his lips up to Finn's ear.

“You're so fucking beautiful,” Poe whispers, and kisses his ear.

Finn can't even respond, he's too busy grinding upwardly against Poe's crotch, desperate for some kind of relief for himself.

“Poe. . .” Finn breathes, gripping Poe tighter. “ _Please. . .”_

Poe chuckles, kissing Finn's neck as he begins to slide Finn's underwear down his legs. Finn has never been so exposed in his life like this, and as his boyfriend is looking at his erection, he doesn't imagine he could get any more exposed than this.

Finn is wrong. Poe wraps a hand loosely around Finn's cock and gently begins to tug, swiping his thumb over the tip of Finn's cock, and the noises that come out of Finn's mouth are absolutely sinful, his jaw dropping wantonly.

Poe strokes him for a while, giving Finn nothing but unbridled pleasure until Poe moves his fingers downward, finding Poe's entrance. Just the feeling of Poe's fingers circling the outside of Finn's tight ring of muscles there causes Finn to shiver.

Poe inserts one lubed finger gently into Finn's entrance, and Finn moans a little too loudly – it's a tight kind of feeling, but it isn't entirely unpleasant. Poe takes it very slowly and very carefully.

“This good?” Poe checks, very slowly moving his finger in and out of Finn's hole.

Finn can only respond with a moan. “ _Please,_ more.”

Poe bites his lip and gently slides another finger inside of Finn, scissoring and curving his fingers upward inside of Finn. It doesn't take long for Poe to find Finn's prostate – and a white-hot electrical surge of pleasure rushes through Finn.

“Oh!” Finn yelps, gripping Poe's wrist as Poe's fingers curl upward inside Finn. “Oh, _God,_ right _there.”_

“God, you're killing me,” Poe groans; Poe's pitching a fucking tent in his underwear and it's becoming a little painful for him at this point.

Poe keeps gently massaging Finn's prostate, preparing Finn as much as he can – and Finn sees fucking _stars_ every time Poe hits that spot. Finn's never felt this kind of pleasure and he wants so, so much more.

“Poe, _please,”_ Finn begs. “I'm ready.”

Poe seems to disagree; he fingers and spreads Finn just a bit more until Finn yanks Poe on top of him again, practically shoving his tongue down Poe's throat.

Poe sheds the rest of his clothing and they're both naked now, Poe can't help but grind against Finn's cock. Watching Finn come undone like that stirs a need in both of them.

Finn spreads his legs for Poe, now, and he wants _all_ of Poe – it's an absolute need. Finn's breathing heavily, gripping the bedsheets as Poe places his erection just outside Finn's hole as he lubes himself up.

“Poe. . .” Finn practically begs.

Poe's ready now; he pushes his erection inside Finn's tight ring of muscles, ever so slowly – the moans that come from both of them are hard to tell apart, but Finn's eyes squeeze shut just as Poe buries himself inside Finn's hole.

“F-fuck,” Finn nearly growls.

Poe starts to move, then. He pulls almost all the way out and swiftly pushes back in, grinding himself against Finn slowly and gently.

“Harder, Poe, _fuck,”_ Finn begs.

Poe crawls on top of him and starts moving hard and fast now, gripping the bedsheets on either side of Finn's head and lets his pleasured instincts take over.

Poe brings his lips to Finn's ear again and whispers, “You're so fucking perfect, Finn. You feel so good, _god.”_

Finn moans in response again, digging his fingers into Poe's back as Poe pounds into him, animalistic and desperate.

“I love your wit, and your smile,” Poe continues, kissing his ear as he whispers, “I love your loyalty, your bravery, you're so fucking beautiful, I love everything about you, _fuck.”_

Leave it to Poe fucking Dameron to whisper sweet nothings while he's balls deep inside Finn. Finn would roll his eyes if they weren't already rolled back in pleasure.

“Shut up, I love _you,”_ Finn can't help but moan out, running his hands down Poe's stomach as Poe pounds into him.

Poe moans further, his thrusts speeding up.

“I fucking love you, Finn,” Poe answers after a moment, completely lost in his own pleasure.

Finn isn't even sure if he knows what he's doing here or the context behind it; Finn never got _this_ kind of training in the First Order. This is just pure instinct; pure unbridled pleasure. Finn is raw and exposed in this moment, in the best way he could possibly think of, with the best possible person he'd want to do it with.

Finn can tell that Poe's getting close, his thrusts inside Finn are becoming quicker, more desperate and needy; Poe's biting and kissing Finn's neck as his hips grind into Finn.

“Touch me,” Finn begs. “I wanna feel you.”

Poe is more than happy to acquiesce to his request. Poe slides his hand down Finn's stomach, wrapping his hands around Finn's leaking erection.

The noise that Finn makes is so erotic it even surprises himself. Poe's stroking Finn's dick just as fast as Poe is thrusting into him, and he can feel hot pleasure swelling inside him.

Poe hits Finn's sweet spot again deep inside of him. Finn's moans are just quick gasps, now. All that's built up is ready to release.

Finn's breathing becomes heavier. “Poe, I'm--”

“Come for me, babe,” Poe murmurs into his ear. “Just let it all go. Come for me.”

It doesn't take long for Finn to obey; with a sharp cry Finn's coming all over himself, white streaks shooting out of him and all over his stomach. Poe strokes Finn through his orgasm, and Finn's fucking _shuddering_ against Poe.

Poe still thrusts into him through Finn's orgasm hitting _just_ the right spot and Finn can't even focus on anything, when Poe starts to moan harder.

“God, you look so good like this,” Poe murmurs. “Gonna make me come – _oh -”_

Poe's coming now, filling Finn up with his white heat, thrusting into Finn like his life depends on it. Finn can feel Poe coming inside of him and if Finn wasn't so exhausted from the first time he swears he could come all over again.

Poe rides his orgasm out in Finn, his thrusts becoming slower and softer until Poe collapses into a breathless heap on top of Finn, pulling himself out of Finn slowly, gently.

They're both breathless and speechless for a moment, Poe's lying on top of Finn, placing soft kisses on Finn's chest as they ride through their post-coital high, the only sounds in the room being gentle kisses and heavy breathing.

“Wow,” Finn murmurs, breaking the silence. Finn's fingers find their way into Poe's – his hand-holding still an essential need for Finn. “Wow.”

“Good wow or bad wow?” Poe wonders, though there's humor in his tone.

“I'd give that a good wow,” Finn admits, “although 'good' seems like a kind of lousy word for it.”

“Amazing,” Poe agrees.

“More like the best thing I've experienced in my life,” Finn admits tenderly.

Poe looks up at him, placing a slow, sweet, deep kiss on Finn's lips.

“Welcome to the Resistance,” Poe grins.

“Jerk,” Finn whispers affectionately. “We gotta do this more often.”

“I'm all yours, babe,” Poe murmurs.

Poe wraps himself in Finn's arms this time, and it's quiet for a moment before Poe starts to speak again.

“I think we should go flying tomorrow,” Poe murmurs. “It's about time you learned.”

Finn smiles to himself as they both fall asleep. Finn's dream will finally be real. He's made it, and he doesn't even have to _dream_ anymore.


End file.
